Setting attainable goals for 2014

Hooray for me! In celebration of this New Year I accomplished exactly what I set out to do. I stayed awake long enough to see the ball drop. Wow!

To most folks, having such a miniscule goal is silly but as Iíve aged my circadian rhythms often take full control, especially after sundown. Did you know eyelids can gain a hundred pounds?

What made this past year important to acknowledge is because it was so wonderful. I wanted to show it ďrespectĒ by personally watching it move into my rearview mirror. Iím not unique by any stretch. That date threshold fills billions of rearview mirrors as earthís rotation triggers celebrations around the world.

Suffice it to say 2013 was excellent for me in every measurable way. Ann and I took a couple of great vacations, had a couple of very enjoyable visits from family, and personally had an excellent WSOP tournament experience in Vegas.

I also love what I do for a living so find enjoyment at some level every single day. All in all, the year didnít leave much to be desired for us.

And most importantly, we enjoyed a blessing which makes all else pale in comparative value. Weíre healthy, which trumps everything.

I printed out a compilation of what all went on last year and felt somewhat embarrassed our family fared so well. I fully understand my good fortune is neither earned nor deserved but simply fateís benevolence which Iíll appreciate until the 12th of Never as Johnny Mathis might say.

America didnít do all that well but the countryís time will return. We probably have another 1,000 days of sluggish growth and stifling government to slog through but this too will pass.

Thankfully Obama and his ilk have been checkmated from doing too much more damage. Heís used up all of his smoke and mirrors which clothed his whole administration. This Emperor stands exposed before Americans as a lying incompetent. Period.

Itís appropriate at the first of every year to make resolutions for the purpose of realigning oneís trajectory into a New Year. Over time Iíve learned to make public promises that are non-specific, hence attainable.

For example, I wonít pledge to lose a given number of pounds or walk a certain number of miles every week. In keeping with this fuzzy commitment strategy, Iíve set forth doable goals for 2014.

Regarding exercise, Iíll use our treadmill every day but youíll have to be quick to catch each session. That means even if I walk for only 5 minutes, it counts, which constitutes an elegant fuzziness since the qualifier ďevery dayĒ isnít elapsed-time specific.

I vow to become more charitable. Iíll set aside my cynicism regarding flashy charities with their gauntlets of administrative costs in favor of dollar for dollar benefits to those who need. Itís not a long trip from Samís to the soup kitchen. Weíll drive it more often.

I could also resolve to enjoy every single day but I already do that anyway so it wouldnít count. Happy 2014!

Otis Gardnerís column appears here weekly. He can be reached at ogardner@embarqmail.com

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